 | |
 Gert Verhulst as Gert in Plopsaland. | |
| Industry | Amusement parks |
|---|---|
| Founded | 28 April 2000 |
| Founder | Studio 100 |
| Headquarters | De Panne, Belgium |
Key people | Gert Verhulst, Founder and partial owner Hans Bourlon, Founder and partial owner Koen Clement CEO |
| Owner | Studio 100 |
| Website | Official website |
Plopsa is the theme park division of Studio 100, the company operates 8 parks across Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Poland.
Plopsa began operation at the end of 1999 when Studio 100 acquired Meli Park in Adinkerke. After several renovations the park reopened as Plopsaland on 29 April 2000. Several attractions got a layover with Studio 100 characters, such as Kabouter Plop, Samson & Gert and Bumba. [1]
In December 2005 the company opened a new indoor theme park in the Municipality Hasselt, Plopsa Indoor Hasselt. This marked the opening of the first indoor theme park in Belgium. In the same year Plopsa also acquired Télécoo, an amusement park near the waterfalls of Coo. As with Meli Park, several attractions got an overlay with Studio 100 characters. In July 2007 the park was renamed Plopsa Coo. [2]
In 2010 Plopsa crossed the Dutch and German borders and opened an indoor theme park in Coevorden, similar to Plopsa Indoor Hasselt. The park officially opened its doors on 29 April 2010 as Plopsa Indoor Coevorden. In Germany, Plopsa acquired Holiday Park in Haßloch. As with Meli Park and Télécoo, the park got a layover with Studio 100 characters; The name, however, remained the same. [3]
In 2015 the company enterend a new ares of park entertainment with the opening of Plopsaqua in De Panne, a water park themed around the Studio 100 character Vic the Viking. This park also received a subsidy from the Municipality, so the people of De Panne could use the facilities at a discount. Other Plopsaqua water parks are in active development throughout Belgium. [4] The same year Studio 100/Plopsa opened their catalog of characters to other amusement park operators outside Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Majaland Kownaty, Poland and a yet to be built theme park in Prague, Czech Republic are examples of this, since these parks are partially owned by an investment company. Steve van den Kerkhof (CEO of Plopsa) stated that there is also interest in the characters from companies in China, The US, Australia and Canada [5]
The latest location opened in Torzym, Poland in September 2018 with Majaland Kownaty. Majaland Kownaty is an indoor theme park similar to Plopsaland Coevorden in The Netherlands. The title character is Maya the Bee. In contrary to the other 6 parks this park is partially owned by an investment company. The theme park is doing so well that Plopsa and Momentum Capital decided to build three other parks in Poland in Warsaw, Gdańsk and Katowice. [6]
At the end of 2019 Plopsa acquired the struggling theme park Comic Station, located in a terminal of Antwerp Central Station. The park closed for a partial refurbishment and opened in October 2021 as Plopsa Station Antwerp. [7]
List of all theme parks, water parks and other assets of Plopsa that are open or in active development.
| Assets (partially) owned by Plopsa | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country | City | Name | Type | Opening | Note |
 Belgium | Adinkerke, West Flanders | Plopsaland De Panne | Theme park | 2000 (1935) | Opened in 1935 as Meli Park, acquired by Plopsa in 1999 and reopened as Plopsaland in 2000. In 2024, the resort was named to Plopsa Resort Belgian Coast after new management within the company. |
| Studio 100 Theater De Panne | Theater | 2013 | Opened in 2013 as Plopsa Theater, renamed in 2019 to Proximus Theater, renamed in 2024 to Studio 100 Theater De Panne. | ||
| Plopsaqua De Panne | Water park | 2015 | First water park in the Plopsa chain. | ||
| Plopsa Hotel | Hotel | 2021 | |||
| Plopsa Village | Camping | 2022 (1965) | Opened in 1965, acquired in 2017 and is in development to reopen in fases from 2021 as Plopsa Village with a camping site, mobile homes and holiday villages. | ||
| Wijnegem, Antwerp | Plopsa Store | Store | 1998 | Opened in 1998 with the name De Kijkbuis, renamed in 2004 to Plopsa Store. | |
| Hasselt, Limburg | Plopsa Indoor Hasselt | Theme park | 2005 | ||
| Antwerp, Antwerp | Plopsa Station Antwerp | 2021 (2017) | Opened in 2017 as Comic Station Antwerp, acquired by Plopsa in 2019 and reopened as Plopsa Station Antwerp in October 2021. | ||
| Stavelot, Liège | Plopsa Coo | 2007 (1976) | Opened in 1976 as Télécoo, acquired in 2005 and reopened as Plopsa Coo in 2007. First Plopsa park on the French-speaking side of Belgium (Wallonia). | ||
| Hannut, Liège | Plopsaqua Hannuit-Landen | Water park | 2020/2021 | Due to the COVID-19 pandemic measures only the 25 meter pool opens 11 December 2020. The rest of the water park followed on 9 June 2021. | |
 The Netherlands | Coevorden, Drenthe | Plopsa Indoor Coevorden | Theme park | 2010 | First Plopsa park outside of Belgium. |
 Germany | Haßloch, Rhineland-Palatinate | Holiday Park | 2010 (1971) | Opened in 1971, acquired in 2010 by Plopsa. First Plopsa park in a non-Dutch speaking country. | |
 Poland | Torzym, Lubusz | Majaland Kownaty | 2018 | This theme park is owned for 21% by Plopsa and for 79% by Momentum Capital. | |
| Warschau, Masovian | Majaland Warsaw [8] | 2022 | |||
| Assets owned by third parties under a licence by Plopsa | |||||
 Czech Republic | Prague | Majaland Praha [9] | Theme park | 2021 | This theme park is owned by TNI Group and Kaprain. |
A list of all investments of the Plopsa Group in their current and new parks.
| Country | Resort/Park, City | Investment | Type | Opening | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Plopsa Coo, Stavelot | The Smurfer | Attraction | 2022 | Rethematization of Halvar | |
| Germany | Holiday Park Resort, Haßloch | Water playground | 2023 | €3.5 million | ||
| Poland | Majaland Gdańsk, Gdańsk [8] [10] | Theme park | 2023 | €20 million | This theme park is owned for 21% by Plopsa and for 79% by Momentum Capital. | |
| Belgium | Plopsaland Resort, Adinkerke | Circus Bumba | Attraction | 2023 | ||
| Germany | Holiday Park Resort, Haßloch | Tomorrowland-themed area | 2024 | €15 million | ||
| Poland | Majaland Katowice,Katowice [8] | Theme park | 2024 | This theme park is owned for 21% by Plopsa and for 79% by Momentum Capital. | ||
| Belgium | Plopsaland Resort, Adinkerke | Plopsa Village extension [11] | Accommodation | 2024 | €30 million | |
| Germany | Holiday Park Resort, Haßloch | Holiday Park Hotel | Accommodation | 2024 | €20 million | |
| Holiday Wasserpark [12] | Water park | 2025 | €22.5 million | |||
| Belgium | Plopsaqua Mechelen, Mechelen [13] | 2025 | €50 million | |||
| Poland | Water park, Warsaw [14] | Water park | T.B.D. | This water park is owned for 21% by Plopsa and for 79% by Momentum Capital. | ||
During a corruption investigation to a city official of The Hague in 2019 it was discovered that Plopsa was actively searching for a new site in The Netherlands to expand with a Plopsaqua and a possible second Plopsa Indoor. During an interview with RTL Nieuws Steve van den Kerkhof confirmed this and that Plopsa was in talks with the city of The Hague, but that they were also investigating other sites in The Netherlands. Since the interview no updates were given to the Dutch expansion. [15]
De Panne is a town and a municipality located on the North Sea coast of the Belgian province of West Flanders. There it borders France, making it the westernmost town in Belgium. It is one of the most popular resort town destinations within Belgium. The municipality includes the village of Adinkerke. On 1 January 2011, De Panne had a total population of 10,748 on a total area of 23.90 km2, which gives a population density of 449.7 inhabitants per km2.
Hasselt is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium.
Dalen is a village and a former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands, in the province of Drenthe. Since 1998, Dalen has been part of the municipality of Coevorden.
Maya the Bee is the main character in The Adventures of Maya the Bee, a German book written by Waldemar Bonsels and published in 1912. The book has been published in many other languages and adapted into different media. The first American edition was published in 1922 by Thomas Seltzer and illustrated by Homer Boss. The latter's wife Adele Szold-Seltzer (1876-1940), the daughter of Benjamin Szold and younger sister of Henrietta Szold, was the translator.
Meli Park was a theme park which was opened in 1935 in Adinkerke in the municipality of De Panne on the Belgian coast.
An indoor roller coaster or enclosed roller coaster is a roller coaster built inside a structure. The structure may be unrelated to the ride, or it may be intended solely or primarily for the ride. Many indoor coasters are custom made and placed in amusement parks or shopping malls. LaMarcus Adna Thompson, who pioneered the construction of the first simple roller coasters, initially built "scenic railway" rides including "indoor tableaux, panoramas, and biblical scenes illumined by car-tripped switches and flood lamps". A "completely enclosed roller coaster" called the Twister was built as early as 1925. Walt Disney World's Space Mountain was one of the first rides considered to be an indoor roller coaster, and was "the first indoor roller coaster where riders were in total darkness for the length of the ride so they couldn't tell where the drops or turns would occur".
The Trixxo Arena is the largest multipurpose arena in Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium used for music concerts, sports and other large events. It opened in September 2004 at a total construction cost of €11.7 million. The arena complex can hold up to around 21,000 people, with the Main Hall holding a maximum of 18,000.
Park H in Hasselt, Belgium is one of the biggest event complexes in the Benelux. The first halls, the Grenslandhallen, were built in 1983. In 2002 one of the first halls has been transformed into a congress theatre for musicals, concerts, ... up to 5000 people.
Zierer Karussell- und Spezialmaschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German company located close to Deggendorf. Zierer manufactures ESC and Force line of roller coasters, as well as panoramic wheels, wave swingers, flying carpets, Hexentanz, and Kontiki rides. They have previously manufactured the Tivoli line of coasters, however these have now been discontinued. The company also has partnered with Schwarzkopf to build Lisebergbanan at Liseberg and Knightmare at Camelot Theme Park.
Plopsaland De Panne is a theme park located in Adinkerke, Belgium, in the municipality of De Panne, and owned and operated by Plopsa. The park was originally known as Meli Park from 1935 to 1999, before reopening as Plopsaland on 20 April 2000.
Studio 100 N.V. is a Belgian production company that operates television channels, animation studios and theme parks worldwide. The headquarters of the company is in Schelle, along with offices in Breda, Munich, Paris, New York, Sydney and Los Angeles.
Holiday Park is an amusement park in Haßloch, Germany, owned and operated by Plopsa. It is one of Germany's most popular theme parks and is part park and part woodland.
Gert Tony Hubert Verhulst is a Belgian presenter, entrepreneur, singer,director, actor, screenwriter, composer, film producer, and business magnate. As a prominent figure within the children's entertainment industry in the Benelux, he is regarded as a Flemish cultural icon, known for his influence and contributions to children's entertainment in the Benelux and founder of Studio 100.
Skyline Attractions, LLC is an American amusement ride and roller coaster design and manufacturing company founded in 2014 and based in Orlando, Florida. The company also includes a subsidiary company, Skyline Design, LLC, which offers design services inside and outside the amusement industry.
This is a list of events and openings related to amusement parks that occurred in 2021. These various lists are not exhaustive.
Plopsa Coo is a themepark in Wallonia near the waterfalls of Coo in Stavelot, owned and operated by Plopsa.
The Ride to Happiness is a steel spinning roller coaster located at Plopsaland De Panne in Adinkerke, Belgium. It is Europe's first Mack Rides Xtreme Spinning Coaster, and holds the record for the most inversions on a spinning coaster. The attraction is themed to the world-famous Tomorrowland electronic dance music festival, annually held in Boom, Belgium.
Plopsaqua is a chain of waterparks in Belgium, owned and operated by Plopsa. It currently consists of two waterparks: Plopsaqua Hannut-Landen in Hannut, Liège in the French-speaking Wallonia which opened in 2021, and Plopsaqua De Panne, which is part of the Plopsaland De Panne complex in De Panne, West Flanders in the Dutch-speaking Flanders, which opened in 2015.
